Weather advisories – what do they even do? As a Gannon student I feel like they don’t even apply to us.
The advisories advise us to only drive if necessary and if unavoidable, or stay inside if possible. Apparently, though, the warnings have no effect on schools in the Erie area.
It’s different if you are not a commuter and you could strap on the snow shoes and truck it through the snow to get to class. But if you live on the other side of the airport, you can’t just strap the snow shoes onto your car.
Driving in weather like the past couple of days is not easy. Not to mention leaving yourself an extra 30 minutes to attempt to dig out your car, clean it off, warm it up and make it out of the driveway.
Yes, this is Erie, but student safety should be Gannon’s No. 1 concern. It’s almost as if it prides itself on never having “snow days,” but at some point it shouldn’t be something that is bragged about.
It’s not just student safety Gannon should be concerned about; the staff and faculty don’t live in dorms just down the street. I just think it is unnecessary to hold classes when snowplows haven’t even plowed the majority of the roads around campus.
My street wasn’t plowed until after lunch time Monday, but even then we still had too much snow to make driving easy because it was still snowing. The sidewalks are just as hazardous.
I know I had to walk on the roads because sidewalks were non-existent and I was not alone. Students having to walk on the roads to get to class should be the first sign to cancel classes.
I know school is important and we can’t afford to miss any days, but if a snowstorm leaves the roads unsafe and sidewalks unmanageable, then maybe the idea of one canceled day should be re-evaluated.
With Gannon being such a commuter populated school, driving safety should be top priority. Students shouldn’t feel that their education is at risk because their vehicles can’t get through the snow in a safe manner.
Thankfully, Gannon is quick when it comes to snow removal on its campus, but Erie isn’t.
There are still streets that haven’t been plowed since Monday. The lack of parking on campus makes it difficult for the snow plows to get through certain streets – I get it – but since the town is designed with narrow streets that are one way, there should be a smaller plow for that style of street.
I don’t know, I guess it is an issue in Erie and at Gannon that hasn’t been resolved, but something should change sooner rather than later.
BECKY HILKER
